A polymeric biological material can be prepared by initial conditioning steps of enzyme treatment of animal raw material, such as pig sclera. Collagen is extracted from the raw material and is mixed with monomers for polymerization to ophthalmological materials, such as intraocular and contact lenses. The lenses are used for surgical or conservative treatment of myopia. The ophthalmological materials are also used to form collagen solutions for treating mild myopia and solutions to prepare external forms of medication.
There are a number of major deficiencies associated with this method. First, enzyme treatment with trypsin results in irreversible breakdown of the primary structure of pig sclera collagen. It is difficult to achieve high collagen concentrations in ophthalmological products manufactured from this collagen. Products manufactured from lower collagen concentrations are brittle.
It is an object of the invention to provide a collagen that can form high collagen concentrations.
It is another object of the invention to produce ophthalmological products that are not brittle.
It is still another object to condition a collagen containing substrate to provide a collagen that can be extensively used to produce strong, elastic intraocular lenses and contact lenses that are highly biocompatible and gas permeable.